


The Night Came Slowly

by bananafishings



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst, Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, Love Bites, M/M, Multi, Nightmares, Polyamory, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-07-11 10:26:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15970436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bananafishings/pseuds/bananafishings
Summary: Sometimes Eiji has these nightmares that won't leave him alone, but Ash and Shorter are always there for him.(Spoiler alert and warning: The first part of this fic contains a retelling of the death scene from Episode 9.)





	The Night Came Slowly

“Shorter!” Eiji screams, powerless to do anything except watch this living hell unfold. 

He still has to try.

“Shorter, it’s me, Eiji. Can’t you see? Please, Shorter!” He shouts, hoping that somehow Shorter can hear him, can recognize him again; that Shorter become himself again.

It doesn’t work. It doesn’t work. The drug has destroyed him.

“Stop… Please stop…” Ash cries and his pleads fall onto uncaring and cruel ears.

It’s all so fast and Eiji is fighting for his life against Shorter and he doesn’t want to hurt him and it’s all so fucked up.

Ash screams out again. “Don’t, Shorter… Shorter!”

Shorter stops. Eiji can’t breathe.

“Ash… I… I can’t anymore…” Shorter says, gone, too far gone. The tiniest bit of himself still holding on. So he begs for mercy. “Set me free… I’m in so much pain…” It’s directed at Ash. Or maybe at no one or everyone.

“Run, Eiji. Run!” Ash pleads, sobs, helpless to do anything but watch his best friend murder Eiji.

The gun is handed to Ash, placed where he can get to it.

Eiji’s life is in danger. Everything’s going to disappear before Ash’s eyes.

“No!” Ash yells, tears in his eyes as he shoots the gun. 

It’s done. The bullet gone right through the middle.

Eiji feels blood, Shorter’s blood. splashing onto his cheek and then Shorter falls on top of Eiji.

No. No. No.

“Shorter… Answer me.” Eiji says, and it’s too much. It’s all too much.

Then the men are taking Shorter away, and Eiji screams. “Don’t touch him!” Eiji pleads, but it’s no use. He’s gone. 

“Shorter! Shorter! Shorter!” 

Shorter is gone.

...

He wakes up screaming on the bed.

“Eiji! Eiji! Eiji!” It’s Ash calling out to him, letting Eiji know he’s there. He will always be there.

Eiji stops screaming, and just starts sobbing instead. He’s been shaken out of the lucid dream but it still hurts. Every time this dream comes, it still hurts.

Before Eiji knows what’s happening, he’s being held by Ash, being cradled in a way so that Eiji can cry into his shoulder. Eiji is embarrassed still, about Ash always doing this for him; but all he can do is accept it and cry. 

He holds on tight onto Ash as he continues to sob, this episode a particularly bad one. The emotions coming back and the pain too real. 

Then the door to the room is opening, and it’s Shorter.

He’s safe. He’s okay. He’s safe. Eiji starts up the usual mantra in his head, now that he can confirm that this true once again.

Without a word, Shorter hugs Eiji from the other side, also holds him. Reassuring him that he’s real and most importantly, that he’s alive. Shorter also does the thing he usually does where he gently strokes Eiji’s hair, comforting and steady, further grounding Eiji back to reality.

Back to both Ash and Shorter. 

The whole time he’s being held, Ash murmurs sweet nothings into his ear. A constant stream of sweet-nothings and reassurances. 

“You’re okay. I’m here for you. We’re here for you.” He says as Eiji continues to cry, so Ash keeps talking.

“Shorter is right there, I’m right there. Alright? We’re not going anywhere” Ash’s presence is solid and comfortable and Eiji kind of wants to cry even more just thinking about that.

“I love you.” Ash says. Eiji’s breath hitches.

“I love you too.” Shorter also tells Eiji, and that's when Eiji knows he will be okay again.

When Eiji’s cries begin to subside and he’s just struggling to catch his breath again, that’s when Shorter talks again. Nothing but compassion in his voice.

“Did you want to talk about it?”

Eiji shakes his head, and after doing so turn so he can bury himself into Shorter now, who gratefully accepts. Ash takes on the other side.

“Just stay here with me.” Eiji says, a plea.

Shorter sighs, but he does. Of course he does.

Eiji kept having this dream. Sometimes Ash and Shorter also had bad dreams, but they had different ones. Too many bad memories that weren’t laid to rest. Trauma that would lurk occasionally in the darkness.

For Eiji, however, it was always the same dream. The same nightmare where they lost Shorter in the ugliest way possible. Where he couldn’t do anything to save Shorter, or save Ash from doing that to him.

It was too vivid and too real, but it didn’t happen. Shorter was safe, and Ash was safe, and they were all okay.

That’s what Eiji had to keep telling himself.

He was always too afraid to think about why it always felt so real.

The dream just started happening one day, and it kept coming back. It happened less and less as time went on, but it hadn’t completely stopped. Usually Eiji could handle it, go back to sleep, but sometimes it was too much to handle. Like now.

Eiji didn’t know when he had started to tear up again, but he did notice when Shorter wiped them away. He really was to good for the world, Eiji thought.

God, Shorter was too good for him, for life, Eiji thought.

Eiji talks again, his voice raw and raspy, only to say, “Don’t do that, I’m gross right now.”

He’s coming back to himself.

Ash starts laughing from behind and Eiji can feel it, it feels nice. “Shot down. That’s harsh man.” 

Shorter scoffs, “Hey, I’m trying to care about Eiji over here! You’re lucky I love you, Ash.” Now he’s stroking Eiji’s face, and Eiji happily leans into it.

He feels vulnerable, but between Ash and Shorter, that’s okay.

Ash really wants to flip Shorter off as a reflex, but that feels kind of inappropriate right now. “Yeah, yeah. Love you too, I guess. Probably just not as much as Eiji though.” Ash nuzzles into Eiji’s neck and then makes Eiji laugh, a happy sound settling Ash and Shorter’s hearts.

“Don’t talk for me!” Eiji protests, soaking up the attention. “You guys already know I love both of you equally. Depending on the day.”

Shorter laughs. “Yeah, you’re definitely okay.” He kisses Eiji on the cheek and Eiji smiles. 

They all stay like that for a while. All cuddled up to Eiji, both Ash and Eiji just wanting him to feel safe.

Later, Shorter kisses Eiji’s other cheek when the painful and awkward atmosphere from before is replaced with playfulness and affection.

The third kiss of the night goes on Eiji’s neck and becomes a teasing bite. Eiji whines. “Shorter!” Knowing how to read Eiji by now, Shorter knows it means to keep going, so he does. Shorter keeps biting on the warm skin, licking and sucking until a nice red mark is formed. It makes Eiji feel good, and he makes a pleased noise. Eiji hates how Shorter knows that he loves getting those hickeys. 

“Ahem.” Ash coughs, and Shorter stops, pouting. 

“You know as much as I love watching you two going at it, I feel kind of lonely here.” 

Eiji laughs again and it makes Ash go soft. “Just, you are feeling better, right? We’re here for you.” He’s concerned and Eiji can’t believe how the hell he managed to get not just one, but two of the best boyfriends in the world. 

“Don’t worry about me anymore Ash. I’m okay now, at least for tonight. I promise you two.”

Ash still looks a little troubled, for Eiji’s sake.

So Eiji decides to take charge. He does it by turning away from Shorter to get on top of Ash by straddling him. He leans down then to kiss him. Feeling a lot better and buzzing with affection and warmth, Eiji wants to do this. He wants to somehow convey how much he loves them.  


Ash matches Eiji’s speed and he falls into the kiss rather easily. The kiss is slow, and although there’s nothing but tenderness in the kiss then Eiji’s head is spinning and his whole body is buzzing with pleasure.

They eventually break away, and then Shorter is the one complaining. “Aww, come on, now I’m the one who’s lonely over here.” 

Both Ash and Eiji roll their eyes, but they finally separate and as soon as they do Shorter pulls Ash into a kiss. Eiji thinks he could watch the both of them like that forever. 

Eiji thinks he’s an alright kisser. However, Ash and Shorter are excellent. Ash’s kisses are just like him; intense and calculated. Shorter on the other hand, is all passion and enthusiasm that can border on overwhelming, in a very good way.

So whenever they kiss, it’s very good. Like right now. 

It’s hot, really hot, and Eiji feels the warmth on his face and throughout his body. But now, at the worse time, the tiredness is hitting Eiji and he yawns. He doesn't succeed in stifling the noise. Ash and Shorter finally break away to look at him. They're both flushed and Eiji lets out an awkward cough.

He looks a little sheepish, but his natural instincts for sleep take over and Eiji can finally speak. “Okay, I love kissing you guys and all, and I really want to keep watching and also join in too… but I’m exhausted. So can we all sleep now and continue this tomorrow?” he asks. 

They laugh, falling over each other, and Eiji feels good. Yeah, they can continue this tomorrow. Every day too.

All of them settle down to sleep, Eiji in the middle once more. However, not until Ash and Shorter attack Eiji with more chaste kisses all over his face. 

...

When they’re all drifting off to sleep, Eiji cuddled up in the middle this time, he can’t help but think about how lucky he is.

Right now, they’re safe and they’re together. Maybe the dream will come back, but he had Ash and Shorter to help fight it off.

There’s no danger with them, only love and warmth. Eiji can feel them right next to him and they’re okay. They’re here.

Even if they weren’t, even if something separated them, Eiji knows what he would do. 

He’d wait for them forever.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Hope my fellow Shorasheiji shippers liked this. I wanted to give my own take on the alternative universes and nightmares trope. I had a need for a lot of cuteness to make up for the depression that episode 9 of the anime gave me.
> 
> This piece is also somewhat of a relationship study between the three. Just as a side note, it was also just very therapeutic to write, albeit painful. I'm sorry Eiji.
> 
> I also intentionally made it vague enough as to where the universe takes place, just know it's one where Shorter is happy. 
> 
> Title taken from the 1895 book by Kate Chopin.
> 
> Beta's by [meteor_ready](https://archiveofourown.org/users/meteor_ready)! ♡♡♡ Thank you for your encouragement!
> 
> Talk to me on my tumblr [@sadbananafish](https://sadbananafish.tumblr.com) or my twitter [@bananafishings](https://twitter.com/bananafishings).


End file.
